Photo: Richard Pegler

Sadly the dragonfly season is nearing its end now, but it's been a good one. More...

When I dug a second garden pond during the first lockdown, Common Darters, Sympetrum striolatum, were the first dragonfiles to arrive. They're still around now (but watch out for those Ruddy Darters). However, the star of the show this year has been the Willow Emerald Damselfly, Chalcolestes viridis (image above by Richard Pegler). This species first appeared in the UK in 2007 and started to spread rapidly. The first record in VC55 was in 2019 and this attractive species is now present at at least six sites in the County and firmly established. Dragonflies won't be on the wing much longer, but the good news is that you can continue to search for this species by looking for the egg-laying scars on twigs near water.